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had imagined possible. Dallas would not have labeled it gruesome, but it
was disturbing in a way hard technology should not have been. The lines
of the massive derelict were clean but unnatural, imbuing the entire
design with an unsettling abnormality.
It towered above them and the surrounding rocks on which it lay. From
what they could see of it, they decided it had landed in the same manner
as the Nostromo, belly down. Basically it was in the shape of an
enormous metallic ?U,?with the two horns of the U bent slightly in
toward one another. One arm
71 was slightly shorter than its counterpart and bent in more sharply.
Whether this was due to damage or some alien conception of what
constituted pleasing symmetry they had no way of knowing.
As they climbed closer they saw that the craft thickened somewhat at the
base of the U, with a series of concentric mounds like thick plates
rising to a final dome. Dallas formed the opinion that the two horns
contained the ship's drive and engineering sections, while the thicker
front end held living quarters, possibly cargo space, and the bridge.
For all they knew, he might have everything exactly reversed.
The vessel lay supine, displaying no indication of life or activity.
This near, the regained transmission was deafening and all three
hastened to lower the volume in their helmets.
Whatever metal the hull was composed of, it glistened in the increasing
light in an oddly vitreous way that hinted at no alloy ever formed by
the hand of man. Dallas couldn't even be sure it was metal. First
inspection revealed nothing like a weld, joint, seal, or any other
recognizable method of cojoining separate plates or sections. The alien
ship conveyed the impression of having been grown rather than manufactured.
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That was bizarre, of course. Regardless of the method of construction,
the important thing was that it was undeniably a ship.
So startled were they by the unexpected sight that none of them gave a
thought to what the seemingly intact derelict might be worth in the form
of bonuses or salvage.
All three were shouting at the same time into their helmet pickups.
?Some kind of ship, all right,?Kane kept repeating inanely, over and over.
72 Lambert studied the lustrous, almost wet shine of the curving sides,
the absence of any familiar exterior features, and shook her head in
wonder. ?Are you positive? Maybe it could be a local structure. It's weird.?
?Naw.?Kane's attention was on the twin, curving horns that formed the
rear of the vessel. ?It's not fixed. Even allowing for alien
architectural concepts, it's clear enough this isn't intended to be part
of the landscape. It's a ship, for sure.?
?Ash, can you see this??Dallas remembered that the science officer could
see clearly via their respective suit video pickups, had probably
noticed the wreck the moment Kane had topped the rise and given his
shocked cry.
?Yeah, I can see it. Not clear, but enough to agree with Kane that it's
a ship.?Ash's voice sounded excited in their helmets. At least it was as
excited as the science officer ever sounded. ?Never seen anything like
it. Hang on a minute.?They waited while Ash studied readouts, ran a
couple of rapid queries through the ship's brain.
?Neither has Mother,?he reported. ?It's £completely unknown type,
doesn't correlate with anything we've ever encountered before. Is it as
big as it looks from here??
?Bigger,?Dallas told him. ?Massive construction, no small details
visible as yet. If it's constructed to the same scale as our ships, the
builders must've been a damn sight bigger than us.?
Lambert let out a nervous giggle. ?We'll find out, if there are any of
them left on board to give us a welcome.?
?We're close and in line,?Dallas said to Ash, ignoring the navigator's
comment. ?You ought to be
73 receiving a much clearer signal from us. What about the distress
call? Any shift? We're too close to tell.?
?No. Whatever's producing the transmission is inside that I'm sure of
it. Got to be. If it was farther out, we'd never have picked it up
through that mass of metal.?
?If it is metal.?Dallas continued to examine the alien hull. ?Almost
looks like plastic.?
?Or bone,?a thoughtful Kane suggested.
?Assuming the transmission is coming from inside, what do we do
now??Lambert wondered.
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